Sports ramblings…with a Yankees bias!

The End of A Championship Year…

To all the great MLBloggers & Readers…

I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!I hope that 2010 is our best year yet…one and all!It’s hard to believe that 2009 has come and gone, and it was quite a year.However, I am anxious and excited for the possibilities of 2010.Who knows if the Yankees will repeat or if the Phillies will recapture the crown thanks to Doc Halliday or if the Mariners move into the upper echelon with the brilliant moves to acquire Cliff Lee and Chone Figgins or if the dreaded Red Sox ride John Lackey and company to another championship.Regardless of what happens, it will be a very fun and exciting year for all of us. Who knows, maybe next year is this year…

Not much sports news to talk about but I’ll try…

I think that Jason Bay’sdecision to join the Mets was foolish on his part.He had a great thing in Boston, and the park was very conducive to his offensive style.It’s unlikely that he’ll hit 36 home runs playing half of his games at CitiField.Given his weaknesses defensively and the poor second half that he experienced in Boston, the high expectations in Queens will be very difficult to meet.Bay could very easily become the player the fans love to hate.In an era where most of us are simply thankful for a paycheck, Jason will rue the day that he disregarded the very generous offer extended by the Red Sox.From the Red Sox’ perspective, I don’t blame them for moving on. The idea of moving Jacoby Ellsbury to left is intriguing given his offensive prowess (so long as he doesn’t move to San Diego in a potential trade for Adrian Gonzalez).Not that I want the best-case scenario to work out for the Red Sox, but it may have happened when they decided to move on without Bay.Meanwhile, it probably won’t be long before GM Omar Minaya is fighting for his job because of moves like Bay and other albatross contracts he has hung on the Mets.

Reuters

I was not closely following the situation with Texas Tech University and head coach Mike Leach, but at first, I thought that Craig James was just using his position as an ESPN college analyst to blow a situation with his son out of proportion.However, after getting a better understanding of the facts, there is nothing that would justify locking a kid in a shed.Regardless of the reasons and aside from the fact that Leach had been very disrespectful to the university prior to the incident, I felt his firing today was justified.The sad part is that it is the university which will pay the highest price.Leach will land on his feet with another school because he has proven that he can win.The Red Raiders, meanwhile, will have to re-establish credibility with potential recruits and find a new coach who can continue the positive advancements made by Leach.Any way you slice it, it’s a bad situation and a black mark on Big 12 football…

AP

I am a very disenchanted Vikings fan right now.I have been a fan of the team all my life.After enjoying several near misses with Fran Tarkenton at the helm, the team has suffered years of championship deprivation.1998 looked like THE year, however, the season ended in disappointment with the loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the play-offs (a game that the Vikings could have won with better play-calling).I almost gave up as a Vikings fan after Fran Tarkenton retired and the Vikings named Bob Lee the starting QB.I know other fans who quit after 1998.I have to admit that I am nearing the fork in the road once again.I have never been a fan of head coach Brad Childress and now the team is in a funk that I am not so sure they can recover from.Sure, 8 Vikings made the Pro Bowl.However, it means absolutely nothing if the Vikings lose the first play-off game.Several weeks ago, they were assured of a first round bye and had momentum on their side.Now, it’s possible that they could lose the first round bye to the Dallas Cowboys.There are many experts that say the two best teams in the NFC right now are the Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles.It would be hard for me to argue against it.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

I recognized football before baseball when I was a kid, so for the first couple of seasons, I was a bigger Vikings fan than I was a Yankees fan.Of course, that turned rather quickly and I was a baseball fan first by 1975 even though the Yankees had endured many losing seasons under the ownership of CBS.George Steinbrenner was still a young and inexperienced owner, but I liked the guys on the team.Catfish Hunter was my idol and Thurman Munson quickly became my favorite Yankee.Nevertheless, I continued to follow the Vikings but it has never been the same since former owner Max Winter departed the organization.I like and respect owner Zygi Wilf, however, I think he is making a mistake by staying the course with Brad Childress.The 2009 team has so much potential, however, it won’t be realized because of Childress.Put a good coach like Bill Cowher in charge of the team and the Vikings would be challenging the Saints for the best record in the NFC.

Puskar/AP

The Vikings can turn things around on Sunday with a solid win against Wilf’s former favorite team, the New York Giants.However, I am not so optimistic about the team’s chances.Somehow, I see another lackluster performance with several key Adrian Peterson fumbles.I hope that I am wrong…

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Well, this does it for me in 2009.I am glad to be among such great MLBloggers and I look forward to a fantastic new year for each and every one of us!

7 Comments

Keep the faith Scott! What do you think, a Patriots-Vikings showdown in the Super Bowl? ;-) And yes, I lobbied long and hard for Theo to resign Bay but in the end? I would rather have players on the team who actually want to play in Boston and are not just here to collect a paycheck. Will he vastly improve the Mets? No. But the Red Sox will be just fine without him.

The whole Mike Leach situation is troubling. We all know the dangers of athletes playing after they have concussions – especially football players. And if Leach somehow felt that “disciple” was needed that was SO not the way to do it. The real losers here are all the young men playing for Texas Tech.

Here’s to a great 2010! Our wagers made the 2009 season that much more exciting – I look forward to them this season. I hope you and yours have a wonderful, healthy and blessed New Year! :-)

Personally, I love it when premier players (which Bay did actually qualify) sacrifice talent and happiness for money. It reaffirms my faith in humanity.

Will he be a huge help to the Metropolitans? Hell yes! As soon as he blows a knee or twists something, the Mets will officially have the best All-Star DL in baseball. Hands-down! Nuff’ said.

Oh, on the field? Well, he’s a limited defensive player playing a huge cavernous park and will have to seriously adjust his swing to launch the ball out of the majors worst launching pad.

Not for nothin’… didn’t the Met’s guys take note of the Yankees’ guys while they were designing and building the park? The House That Ruth Financed is a massive launching pad which NASA is even jealous of.

Oh well. Bay is used to playing for middling teams run by bumbling executives for a bandwagon fanbase while getting buried on the backpage… Pittsburgh prepared him for that. Boston must have been far too much success for him.

Bay seemed intent on playing for an NL team. He had openings to play for you guys, for us, for Seattle or the Angels (teams closer to home), but chose the Mets, for not much more $$. He seems to have preferred playing in the NL. Oh, well…
Leach seemed to have a death wish with Texas Tech. Even though he’d signed an extension, he seemed chronically at odds with the T Tech admin. If he had not been fired for this episode (even if it had not happened), something would have gotten him fired soon enough. He had it coming.

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.